Medicinal chlorine.
This item seriously scared me when I first opened it. All the literature it came with (old and yellowed instructions from the '50s) said it was "pure chlorine gas". The ampules (I got two) contain a pale yellow liquid that looks for all the world like compressed, liquefied chlorine gas. That would have made them very dangerous objects indeed: The pressure needed to liquefy chlorine is rather high, and the glass didn't look nearly thick enough for comfort.
But careful reading of the fine print showed that these are in fact just dissolved chlorine in an alcohol solution. What's still scary is their intended purpose: Providing a convenient way to inhale chlorine for medicinal purposes. The instructions say to sit in a small, closed off room, break open a vial, pour the contents out onto a plate and breath deeply. Ouch.
Inhaling halogens is generally considered a bad idea these days, but considering how much exposure we all have to chlorine in pools and cleaning solutions, these were probably not a whole lot worse.Source:eBay seller dudemanleviContributor:Theodore GrayAcquired:20 April, 2006Text Updated:11 March, 2007Price: $10Size: 4"Purity: 5%Sample Group:Medical